The Tennessee Supreme Court has denied the state's bid to appeal a ruling that permits attorneys for former Tennessee football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams to seek social media communications from witnesses for their upcoming rape trials.

This ruling enables lawyers to pursue those communications by issuing subpoenas to witnesses, including the woman who says Johnson and Williams raped her on November 2014.

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ruled in April that "the state lacks standing to challenge the subpoenas" issued to witnesses. Prosecutors appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court.

Trial dates for Johnson and Williams have been moved multiple times while this issue was debated. Johnson and Williams were indicted on aggravated rape charges in February 2015.

The Knoxville News-Sentinel first reported the Supreme Court's ruling.

K-9 unit called for in search for missing Blount County teenPeg Broadcasting News/WVLT Wednesday August 16, 2017

A K9 unit has been called in to assist search crews who are scouring hundreds of miles in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in hopes of finding missing 18-year-old Austin Bohanan. WVLT reports that Bohanan with a companion into a remote section of the park, near the tail end of the Dragon Friday evening. He was reported missing Sunday and the search began Monday. If you have any information on Austin Bohanan, you are urged to call GSMNP park officials at 865-436-1230.

UPDATE! ENDANGERED CHILD ALERT CANCELLED, CHILDREN FOUND SAFE.Original story:A Tennessee Endangered Child Alert has been issued by the TBI on behalf of the Sparta Police Department for 4-year-old William Young, white male, 3'0", 55 pounds, blonde hair, blue eyes and 15-year-old Salome Young, white female, 5'0", 145 pounds with brown hair and green eyes. They were last seen on August 15 around 9 p.m. at a house on Brown Street in Sparta. They may be in the company of their mother, Kimberly Young, white female, 5'4", 145 pounds, with brown hair, hazel eyes, and in a 2005 Maroon Chevrolet Malibu with Tennessee Tag 9402DD0. The TBI reports that Kimberly has made threats in the past to harm herself and the children. If you have any information about Kimberly or the children please call 1-800-TBI-FIND or 931-836-3734.

11 Men Facing Felony Charges as a Result of Kingsport Human Trafficking OperationTBI/WVLT Wednesday August 16, 2017

A youth leader, a coach, and a volunteer firefighter are among nearly a dozen men facing felony charges as part of a four-day human trafficking operation in Kingsport, Tennessee. Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation along with the Kingsport Police Department, 2nd Judicial District Drug Task Force, Sullivan County District Attorney's Office, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the undercover operation to identify potential victims of trafficking and arrest those seeking to purchase illicit sex from a juvenile. The Kingsport anti-trafficking operation, called "Operation Someone Like Me", took place July 31st through August 3rd and is the 10th of its kind in the state between the TBI and partner agencies to help identify, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking.

During the Operation, undercover Special Agents posing as juvenile girls posted ads on Backpage.com. As a result, Agents received numerous texts and phone calls from men across Tennessee and in surrounding states. A total of eleven men responded and paid to have sex with an underage female. Those arrested include a coach, a church youth leader, an emergency medical technician, and an Uber driver.'Many still think this is something that just happens in big cities. The results of this operation prove that's not the case," says TBI Director Mark Gwyn. "We want our message to be very clear: Law enforcement officers across the state are watching, and we are working together to stop those trying to buy and sell our children for sex."

Earlier this year, as part of its commitment to address this issue, the TBI began the second phase of the public awareness campaign "ITHasToStop," which includes awareness billboards, online resources, public service announcements, and contact information for nonprofits who work with survivors of human trafficking. Visit www.ITHasToStop.com for additional details.

Crossville City Hall Will Close for 1 Hour on Aug. 21Peg Broadcasting News Wednesday August 16, 2017

Crossville City Hall will close between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday, August 21st for the Great American Eclipse.